The Zen Koan of the Tigers and the Strawberry is a classic story that invites reflection on mindfulness and presence.

Here’s how it goes:

A man was walking through the forest when he encountered a ferocious tiger. To escape, he ran, but the tiger pursued him. Soon, he came to the edge of a cliff. With no other choice, he grabbed a vine and climbed down.

As he hung there, he looked below and saw another tiger waiting at the bottom of the cliff.

If that weren’t enough, two mice, one white and one black, began gnawing at the vine he was clinging to.

At that moment, the man noticed a wild strawberry growing nearby. Holding onto the vine with one hand, he reached out with the other, plucked the strawberry, and ate it.

It was delicious.

This koan doesn’t offer a definitive moral but invites reflection. The tigers represent danger or the inevitability of death, one pursuing him and one waiting below. The mice gnawing at the vine symbolize the passage of time (often interpreted as day and night or the duality of life). Yet, amidst these apparent catastrophes, the man chooses to savour the present moment, symbolised by the strawberry.

It’s a lesson in being fully present, finding joy even in challenging circumstances, accepting life as it is, impermanent and uncertain, and “staying in the moment”.